Patron for school is chosen

THE Kildare Wicklow Education Training Board (KWETB) will be the patron of the new secondary school for Greystones and Kilcoole.

The Minister for Education Joe McHugh made the announcement yesterday (Tuesday) regarding the school which will be based in Charlesland.

Over 800 families participated in the patronage selection process and more than 50 per cent indicated KWETB as their first preference.

The new school will have a capacity of 800 and will open in Autumn 2020.

‘Greystones has seen a surge in school enrolments not only due to more families living in our community but also more parents choosing to enrol their children in local schools,’ said Minister Simon Harris.

‘ This announcement will provide peace of mind for many families who have struggled to find a second level place for their child.’

‘I am very relieved that the decision as to who will run the school has been finally made,’ said Cllr Jennifer Whitmore. ‘It is over ten weeks since the patronage competition closed and many parents and students have been understandably concerned with the delay in the announcement. I have been inundated with parents asking when a decision would be made, and it’s great that this has now happened and parents have some certainty about who will run their child’s new school and can see progress being made in setting it up.

‘ There will be lots of work to be done to get this school up and running for September 2020,’ said Cllr Whitmore.

‘As patrons to a number of excellent schools in the area, including Colaiste Chraobh Abhann in Kilcoole, the KWETB is well placed to get this new school established quickly.’